Love At First Sight
by Brainyxbat
Summary: Just before school begins, soon-to-be 6th-grader Shenzi Tuck is told by local girls, whom she doesn't even know, that she's too perky. So on the first day of school, she becomes practically an emotionless, and intimidating robot after leaving home. What happens when local, lovesick, 6th-grader Chuckie Finster wants to know the real her?
1. Prologue

**(A/N: Yay, new story! Here's a little heads-up: This isn't related to the LiM trilogy in any way. Enjoy! I hope...)**

* * *

 **Love at First Sight**

Prologue

* * *

11-year-old Shenzi Tuck was strolling through the park close to her house on a warm, September day. She was enjoying her freedom before school was back in session the next day. She hoped to follow in her big brother figure's footsteps, and join a sports team. But while Fridge Cominskey, who was a grade ahead of her, was on the football team, she had her heart set on basketball. Little did she know that the fifth grade would provide her not only with new lessons, but with new friends. One of the latter was going to be a very special friend.

She perked up upon seeing an ice cream truck close by; Good thing she brought lactaids everywhere she went, and that she had some spare cash on her. "Ooh." She waited in the line of kids for her turn. Her heart leapt when she saw the company logo on the truck: Dippin' Dots. That was one of her two favorites! The other was Ben & Jerry's. Once it was her turn, she took out her wallet from her Jack Skellington Tsum Tsums crossbody bag. "Um, o-one small Cookies 'N Cream, please," She stammered, while putting the right amount of money on the counter; She was quite timid, but was trying to conquer it.

"Here you go, sweetie," The woman gave her a small, clear bowl with a plastic spoon.

"Thanks."

"You're very welcome."

Shenzi sat at a bench, stuck a lactaid in her first spoonful, and enjoyed the tasty treat. The cold was refreshing on the warm day. But when she had one bite left, two preppy-looking girls, one blonde and one brunette, came up to her. She recognized them from her school, but she didn't know their names. All she knew was that they were conceited and liked verbally putting others down. They always ignored her, but not today. "Hey Tuck," The blonde greeted her like they were friends, which they were not. "What're you eating?"

"Ice cream," Shenzi smiled happily.

"Ohhh," The brunette drew out, "Children's dessert."

"What?" Now she was confused. "Ice cream isn't just for kids."

"Ohh right," The blonde nodded, "It's for children and overly perky weirdos."

Shenzi's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

"Psh!" The blonde scoffed, as if the answer wa obvious, "I mean you're way too perky. Nobody likes that; It's annoying."

"I'm not too perky," Shenzi glared, now getting angry.

"Oh really?" The brunette set her hands on her hips, "Only an overly bubbly weirdo would wear an outfit like that."

She glanced down at herself. "What's wrong with it?" She was wearing a black Skelanimals Kit bow front dress with a white bow, a white ribbed tank top under it, so it showed under the black mesh on the dress, classic Converse high-tops, a white extension in her long bangs, which covered her left blue eye, and even her thick black eyeglasses, and black rose earrings. Her long, black hair was in two semi-high ponytails, with a black puff clip on the left, and a blu-ish white one on the right.

"It's too childish," The blonde pointed out, "I mean, you know Skelanimals are plush toys, don't you?"

Shenzi raised an eyebrow. "I'm not stupid, y'know."

"Yeah, but just remember," The blonde took the black-haired girl's ice cream bowl, "Nobody likes an overly perky person. Think about it." Holding the perpetrated bowl, she and her friend walked away.

"Yeah well, joke's on you! I had only one bite left! And my germs are in it now!" Shenzi yelled to her after standing up, but it was seemingly unheard, or just ignored. She sighed heavily, before deciding that she didn't feel like walking around anymore. She headed home, now feeling despondent as the mean girls' words ran through her head. Too perky? She dressed in black all the time! Didn't that overpower it? Guess not.

That night, after freshening up, she laid face-up on her bed in her dark bedroom. She was wearing a black floral sleep shirt that reached below her knees with short sleeves and lace-trim neckline, black Lazy Oaf watching eye socks, and black barbells in her pointy ears, which rested at the top of her head. You see, she isn't 100% human; She's 98% at least. Her only non-human features are her ears, her round black nose like a hyena's, and her purplish-grey skin color. She had a purple plush giraffe on her left arm.

Her bedroom had a black carpet, and dark pink walls. The Akumu Ink canvas prints on the walls gave the room a slightly intimidating vibe. There was also a black and pink Victorian-style clock, and a matching black mirror on the wall. At the windows were pink and zebra-striped curtains. There was a black and grey puzzle rug on the floor, in front of a big, black desk.

Her bed had a black canopy frame with a black, tulle sheet on it tied into a fancy, curtain-like style at the zebra-print corners. It had black, pink, and zebra-striped sheets and covers. To the bed's right was a pink, cupcake-like table that held a pink metallic, rectangular alarm clock, and a zebra-striped lava lamp with dark pink substance inside. There was another table at the front of the bed, although this one resembled arranged playing cards; On top of it was a jewelry holder that looked like dollhouse chairs stacked haphazardly. At the wall across from the bed was a desk for her laptop, and to do homework at.

She turned her head towards the door when she heard it open, and saw Frankie, her older stepsister at the doorway. She was a badger-like girl with brown skin, a round black nose on a short forenose, and short blonde hair that was usually up in a half-ponytail. "You okay, Shen?" She asked her.

"Y-yeah," She nodded, "I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine."

Shenzi stayed quiet, before she sat up with her arms for support. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

She hesitated for a second. "Am I too perky?"

Frankie was confused at that. "No, of course not." She sat on her little sister's bed. "Why would you think that?"

"Well... these two girls from our school, I don't know their names, told me that I am while I was at the park today."

"O-oh. Well, don't listen to them; They don't know you, so they have no right to tell you anything like that. You're perfectly fine."

"Thanks, sis." Shenzi let out a yawn. "I'm getting tired. I'm going to bed early."

"Okay," Frankie nodded, "G'night." She gingerly closed the door as she exited the room.

"G'night," Shenzi mumbled, before she took off her glasses, buried herself in the warm covers, and was out like a light. It was going to be a very interesting day tomorrow.

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 **(A/N: Yeah I know, a bit of a boring start. ^^; I think you should know my disclaimer by now.)**


	2. It Was Love From Second One

**(A/N: Sorry I took so long on this one. Writer's block is a nuisance when stories are just getting started on. I was inspired by a scene in All Growed Up, the Rugrats special. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Love At First Sight**

Ch. 1

* * *

The next morning, Shenzi woke up with a plan in her head. She changed into a black short-sleeved button-up blouse with a Peter Pan collar and a white Saturn on the left shoulder, a green flared pleated skirt, black socks with white organza ruffles, a purple extension, a purple hair bow with black lace over it, white pearl and black rose front-and-back earrings, a black Ouija board watch on her left wrist, and classic Converse high-tops. Their old school was mysteriously burned down to the ground, so they were going to a new one nearby. She met Fridge by accident, considering he didn't go to her old school. Long story, will be explained later. As she ate breakfast with Frankie, she went over her plan in her mind; Show no perkiness at school. Heck, show no emotion at all. She'll look like a robot, but she didn't care.

After finishing breakfast, she and Frankie grabbed their backpacks, and waited at the bus stop. She planned on taking on her emotionless personality whenever Frankie wasn't around; Hopefully that wouldn't be too tough. Once they boarded, Frankie sat near the front and turned on her mp3 player to occupy herself. Once the music was playing through her headphones, she was in an entirely different world. Although she was surprised at Shenzi walking to the very back of the bus. She never did that before.

As Shenzi walked down the aisle of seats, students scooted away in intimidation and placed their backpacks on the free seats until she was in the back. She smiled internally at the students practically cowering before her. That meant her plan was working. But it wasn't going to work on one person.

Near the front, 10-year-old Phil DeVille shrunk back when the intimidating girl passed by. "Creepo, 9 o'clock," He mumbled to his twin sister Lil DeVille, and two of their friends, 10-year-old Tommy Pickles and 11-year-old Chuckie Finster.

Instinctively, Chuckie looked back, and his jaw dropped a bit at the sight before him. Her flawless skin, her large eyes framed by her thick glasses, her flowing hair; Despite her intimidating vibe, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen! A lovestruck smile grew on his face as he couldn't stop staring.

In the back, Shenzi was absentmindedly looking at her black-polished fingernails; After she pushed her glasses up, she saw a boy staring at her from near the front of the bus. A boy who had to be the cutest she had ever seen in her life; His peachy-pale skin, his wild red hair, his freckles dusting his cheeks, ec cetera. She accidentally dropped her no-emotions act by raising her eyebrows in surprise.

When her eyes made brief contact with his, Chuckie gasped and quickly turned around in a panic. "What's wrong, Chuckie?" Tommy asked him.

"Uh, eheh, that girl," He giggled nervously.

"Who, Angelica?" Tommy raised an eyebrow at him.

"No! Not Angelica!" The redhead glared at the younger boy, "The girl in the back. I was looking at her, then she looked at me, and then she almost smiled, and I had to turn around."

"What, that creep?" Phil asked him.

"She is not a creep!" Chuckie snapped at him, "She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my whole life!"

"Are you sure she smiled at you, Chuckie?" Tommy asked him before any fights could break out.

"Yes," He replied, "Well, almost," He admitted. "I feel kind of sick, but in a good way. I never felt this way before, Tommy."

"Wow!"

"And I would've smiled back, yknow, but I was afraid my lips would get stuck on my braces."

"Does that happen?" Lil asked him.

"Well, it-it hasn't happened yet, but I think it's possible. And I can't risk smiling at a cute girl like her, if there's a chance that halfway through, my mouth is gonna get all tangled up, and... can I?" He slumped in despair.

"You guys!" 10-year-old Kimi Finster caught their attention, "Tomorrow, we're officially, practically teenagers! We're going to our first concert!"

Shenzi secretly listened to the group talk, ignoring the "creep" comments. A concert? She'd never been to a concert. Not once in her entire life. If that redhead was going, and her parents allowed her to, she just score not only her first concert, but her first date!

Her heart fluttered at what the redhead said to the brunette boy; Most beautiful girl? Her? No way; He must've been talking about someone else.

Soon, the bus came to a slow stop in front of the main entrance. Shenzi's stomach flipped with fear at the unfamiliarity. "Okay sprouts, off to school," The bus driver announced as the door was open, "I got a skydiving lesson at 10:30." She was surprised at that; The man had to be in his 90s, and he was skydiving? Quickly forgetting about it, she stood up, trailing behind intentionally as the students started filing out. Although her nerves were affecting her alertness.

When Chuckie stood up from his seat, he didn't realize his backpack was upside down until its contents were dumped out on the bus floor. When the vehicle was almost empty, he had his stuff all gathered up, but when he stood back up, someone bumped into him with a feminine, awkward "oomph!" He looked, and his heart leapt when he saw it was the girl from the back of the bus! A blush grew on her cheeks as she tried to stammer out an apology to him.

He tried to smile down at her (she was a bit shorter than him, not including those pointy ears), but his lips were stuck together in the middle from his braces. Her left hand instinctively went to her mouth at the uncomfortable sight. "Uh... your um..." She stammered, not knowing what to say as she gestured to her own small lips. As she talked, she made sure to not open her mouth too widely. "I uh..." An idea flashed in her mind. "Here, um." She turned, her dark hair whipping around with her movements, and dug through the front pocket of her backpack, and took out a small stick of lip balm to help him. She held it out for him to take, her cheeks flushing deeper when they briefly made physical contact as he accepted it. "Y-you can keep it," She shrugged shyly, before walking off the bus to catch up with her sister.

Chuckie gazed at the small item in his left hand, then smiled again as he caressed it like it was a prized possession.

* * *

"She said you can keep it?" Tommy asked him in surprise after he was told what happened during their science class. "Oh, that's pretty serious."

"I think I like her, Tommy," Chuckie smiled as he held the balm close to his chin.

"Is that why you keep writing her name all over your book cover?" Tommy's eyelids lowered at him.

Chuckie had written "Shenzi" on his book, along with hearts. He along the rest of the class had learned her name when she was introduced by their teacher. "Well, it's only this book," He smiled sheepishly as he opened it to hide it. But luckily for him, at another desk in the room, Shenzi had dozed off from boredom, with her hands smushing her cheeks up, so she didn't hear them. Light snores were heard from her, but they were vague.

"Hey Chuckie, are you using that lip stuff?" Lil asked him quietly, surprising Kimi when she was leaning forward in front of her.

He glanced down at it, before responding. "No."

"Can I have it?" She held out her hand.

"No!" Chuckie yelled defensively.

At her desk, Shenzi flinched awake with a small snort. "Wha-what?" She stammered, making the redhead's heart leap in fear that she heard everything. "Ug-g-g." She slumped down again, but her head fell out of her hands, and hit her desk, making a loud, smacking noise that caught everyone's attention. Including the teacher's. "Ow!" The class, sans Chuckie, started laughing at her, but stopped when she let out an inhuman growl with a menacing glare.

"Ms. Tuck, I'd appreciate it if you would stay awake during my class," The tough science teacher, Mrs. Guppie scolded her after silencing the other students.

"Y-yes ma'am," She stammered. She rubbed her forehead where it was hit. "Man, that hurt."

"Do you need to see the nurse?"

"I think that'd be a good idea."

"Alright, you may go."

"Thanks." Shenzi stood up, and walked to the nurse's office, praying that she was going the right way. As she walked, she heard the teacher announce their science projects to be presented. After she was provided with a gel ice pack for her forehead, and a bed to lay or sit on, her mind raced. That boy with the red hair and purple glasses was in her head, and wouldn't leave. What was his name? She had to know! She bet that it was as cute as he was. But at the same time, she was ashamed of herself for dropping her act at the mere sight of him alone. She vowed to keep it up, even if he asked her out on a date. That would never happen anyway. Once she was feeling better, she thanked the nurse for everything, and walked to the cafeteria, since science class was over. When she saw a certain someone, she averted her gaze nervously and focused on searching for a good table.

"Save you a seat!" Kimi called out to Chuckie and Tommy as she followed Phil and Lil to a table.

When Chuckie turned around, he froze when he saw Shenzi across the room. She was looking at him for a split second, before she averted her eyes. "Tommy, there she is! How do I look? Is my hair sticking up?" He rambled nervously.

"Not more than usual," Tommy replied.

"Oh no! She's coming this way! Fix it, Tommy!" The younger boy attempted to smooth down his hair, as the spectacled girl was still walking towards them. She wanted to attempt to at least talk to him, and ask for his name. "I'm getting that weird feeling in my stomach again."

"Just act natural, Chuckie. Be yourself."

"Um, h-hi," Shenzi stammered, "I saw y-oh!" She almost dropped her lunch tray in surprise upon seeing him, the noise attracting attention; Instead of his hair being wild, all over the place, and overall cute, it was smoothed down over his face like a teen heartthrob wannabe. "I... I uh," She stuttered awkwardly, "I, I gotta go." She walked away, as Angelica had witnessed the scene.

"Smooth move, Finster," Angelica taunted him.

"I might as well just hide for the rest of my 2.5 years of braces," Chuckie vented as he walked away to a vacant table.

"Very interesting," She remarked, " _Boy_ dork has a crush on _girl_ dork."

"Uh, what makes you think that?" Tommy played confusion.

"Oh _please,_ Tommy! I read teen magazines; Spill it."

"Well, okay. Chuckie likes that Shenzi girl, but now he's definitely too scared to talk to her."

"I could fix that."

"You could? How?"

"Dorks like her listen to everything cool people like me say," Angelica explained, "I'll just tell her what a great guy Chuckie is."

"You'd really do that?" Tommy paused. "What's the catch?"

"It's easy; I'll fix up Mr. Metal Mouth with Ms. Metal Mouth, if..."

At another table, Shenzi barely heard their conversation, but wasn't aware that they were talking about her. She felt guilty upon seeing Chuckie sitting alone, looking depressed. She wished that she didn't react the way she did; But at the same time, she now felt too embarrassed about her outburst to face him again. She even sat away from her friends, not wanting to explain what happened, and ate by herself.

* * *

In the girls' locker room, after finding her locker, she changed into black low-riding biker shorts, black Tripp shorts with turquoise ruffles and pipelines, black and teal argyle knee-high socks, black Converse high-tops with turquoise laces and stitches, black barbell earrings, a turquoise extension, a black bow scrunchie to keep her hair up in a high ponytail, and a white and black ringer t-shirt that showed two inches of her flat stomach when her arms were down. When her arms were up, such as to tie her hair with the scrunchie, all the skin just below her belly button was visible. She had a strong feeling that she would get stares from boys all around during the class from that factor.

When she arrived at the gymnasium, her heart leapt upon seeing Chuckie. He seemed to spot her as well, but she avoided eye contact, keeping her act up as the gym coach was taking attendance. She flinched when her name was said; Or yelled. The gym coach, Mr. Pangborn, was very loud; His voice echoed off the walls with every word. She then decided to stand her ground. "Tuck! Aren't you going to properly introduce yourself?!" Here goes nothing; She didn't move a muscle, and kept a neutral expression. "Tuck! Are you hard on hearing?!" Nothing. "Do you plan on doing something, or are you just going to stand there like a dead fish?!" She just blinked. "Pheh!" He waved his hand down at her. "So today..."

As soon as she was out of his sight, she stifled laughter with one hand over her mouth, although it was heard by students standing close to her. When she was back in Pangborn's peripherals, she immediately shut up and kept a straight face, having difficulty in the latter. When she was smiling at one point, he actually noticed it. "Something funny, Tuck? Stay serious, or I'll give you something to laugh at!" At "give", he poked her stomach, touching both fabric and skin at the same time. She involuntarily arched back and let out a giggle as she protected herself instinctively. Because he just barely touched her belly button; It was very, _very_ ticklish. She's ticklish everywhere, but her belly button is her weak spot, along with her sides and armpits. "Anyway..." As he assigned certain excercises for the students, Shenzi gently rubbed her stomach in discomfort.

To her dismay, she was assigned to do pull-ups on the bar. When her arms were straight up to grip the bar, her shirt was ridden up high enough to let her belly button peek out. Using all her strength, she performed the task with some struggle. Every time her feet were on the floor, she felt eyes on her. She even spotted Pangborn eyeing her a little too closely from his place at the rope climb. Was he staring at her breasts? Maybe her stomach, since it was out for the world to see, or... worst. Shivers shot down her spine, before she continued her task.

Thankfully, gym class was over before she knew it. But as she climbed down the rope, she suddenly felt strong hands grab her bare sides, under her shirt. She accidentally let out a loud yelp that echoed off the walls, making the rest of the students whip around to look at her. She let go of the rope by accident, but Pangborn's hands kept her from falling. But as he put her down, his fingers moved against her skin, making her twitch harshly, her breath hitch, and hold in a laugh. When she was on the ground, she hastily moved away, and fast-walked out of the gym.

In the girls' locker room, she shivered as she changed back into her school clothes. Why was the gym coach so handsy with her, and only her? And why did he move his fingers like he was trying to tickle her? It was very unsettling. He was supposed to be teaching the kids how to exercise, not touch them like some kind of pervert! She decided to use a different kind of shirt in the class from now on; Hopefully that wouldn't tempt any more touchies.

In the boys' locker room, 4 certain boys were laughing their heads off. "L-like a dead fish!" Phil cracked up.

"That's got to be the funniest thing the man's ever said!" Tommy laughed. Chuckie would've laughed too, but he was lost in his thoughts. Why was Pangborn touching her so much? He poked her stomach, and grabbed her sides. He shivered at the concepts; What a creep. "You okay, Chuck?" Tommy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh um, y-yeah," He nodded, "I was just thinking. And yeah, that dead fish thing was hilarious." He laughed half-heartedly. As the day went on, he thought about Shenzi. The prettiest, cutest girl he had ever seen was getting touched inappropriately by a school faculty. He had to do something, but what? He was only one person, and the principal would never believe him. But he decided to give it a try anyway; No student was getting practically felt up again on his watch.

* * *

"Alright, I'll do whatever I can."

"Thank you, sir." Chuckie walked out of the principal's office; He told him everything that occurred with Pangborn and the new girl, and the slightly greying man looked shocked, and disgusted. To Chuckie's relief, he seemed to believe him. He just hoped that the problem would be taken care of. As he walked outside to the buses, his mind raced about something a bit less important; Why was it that Shenzi showed almost no emotion? She seemed like a perky girl, but she was more like a robot. That couldn't be the real her; It just couldn't be.

He then made a decision: The next time he should see Shenzi Tuck, he was going to learn about the real her.

* * *

 **(A/N: Well, there's one chapter. You know the disclaimer. The dead fish line is from an episode of Phineas & Ferb. XD)**


	3. A New Friend

**(A/N: Sorry I took so long to update! Drawing tickle comics featuring Shenzi Tuck on deviantart, and writer's block are the ones to blame. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Love At First Sight**

Ch. 2

* * *

The next day, the Tuck siblings put together retro outfits for the Emica concert going on that night. Frankie had a pink short-sleeved ruffled blouse with a rose on the left shoulder, and a black ribbon in the middle, high-waisted skinny jeans, yellow retro pinup girl printed Mary Jane wedges, a black wristband with silver studs on her left wrist, a green square bangle and pink round bangle on her right wrist, red cherry earrings, a large black chiffon bow headband, black bow-shaped sunglasses, and had her hair in two small, low ponytails. Shenzi was wearing a loose black cropped tank top with a Virgo symbol, black high-waisted shorts with a mermaids skulls anchors roses print, black and white striped Mary Jane flats with ribbon straps, a black moto leather jacket with assorted pins on the lapels, black retro hoop earrings, a black chiffon bow headband, smaller than Frankie's, a purple extension, and had her hair in two high ponytails. Her pins included a Nintendo NES controller, "Zombies Love Me For My Brain" with a pink heart, Music=Life, "Goth Girl" with white braided hair, and one with a white sugar skull. Her shorts didn't reach her top, so her belly button was showing between them.

"Can you believe it, Shen?" Frankie asked her little sister, "We're going to our first concert! We'll be officially, practically teenagers!"

"Y-yep," Shenzi nodded, "It's going to be great." ' _I wonder if that boy's going to be there,_ ' She thought to herself.

"What boy?" Frankie asked her.

Did she say that out loud? "Uhhh..."

"Do you already have a crush?"

"Pft, n-no."

She saw through her sister's lie. "Who is he? What does he look like?"

Shenzi sighed in defeat. "Okay. I, I don't know his name, but he has red hair, purple rectangular glasses, freckles, and braces."

"Ah," Frankie nodded, "I think I've seen him. I bet he's going to the concert tonight; You can learn his name then."

"Y-yeah," She agreed, "I went to ask him at lunch yesterday, but his hair looked like Bieber's, but longer, and it kind of startled me into changing my mind."

"Ohhh; Well, if he's at the concert, you can ask him then."

"I'll try."

Before long, they were at the park, where the concert was going on. Their parents dropped them off, then drove away with their daughters' promises to be careful and stay together. The two girls headed for the line with their tickets in hand, but they stopped upon seeing a certain group of pre-teens. "Shen," Frankie smirked at the spectacled girl, "Redhead, 9 o'clock. Is that him?"

Shenzi looked, and her face flushed. "Y-yeah," She stammered.

"Hm," Frankie nodded, "I guess he is cute."

"You guess?" Shenzi snickered, "He's adorable."

"Let's go say hi."

"O-okay," She stammered.

"I should never have agreed to our deal," Tommy said to Angelica, "If that girl can't see how great Chuckie is without you telling her, then she's not the one for my best friend."

"Tommy!" Chuckie got his attention from his bike, "Sh-she's coming over!"

The two strange girls walked up to them. "H-hey," Shenzi stammered to the redhead.

"Hi," Chuckie replied nervously, before he giggled in his hands.

"Um, I-I uh... have we met before?" Frankie lightly facepalmed; That wasn't asking for his name.

"Well, if you don't, you should," Angelica joined in, "He's only the coolest kid in school. Uh... what's your name again?"

"Shenzi Tuck," She shrugged.

"Shenzi Tuck, meet Chuck-I mean um, _Charlie_ Finster." She went to walk away, but came back. "The third," She added, before leaving them.

"Hi um, Charlie," Shenzi timidly averted her eyes.

"Hi." Chuckie stood off his bike. "Uh, y-you gave me your lip balm the other day?" He reminded her.

"Oh yeah!" She nodded, "Braces, huh? Bummer. How long are you in for?"

"2.5 years," He replied a bit grudgingly.

"Really?" Her eyebrows raised up, "Me too!"

"You what?"

"I'm stuck with braces for 2 and a half years too." Shenzi showed her braces without smiling. "Anywho, sometimes after they're tightened, you start drooling, whether you want to or not; That's when I learned that lip balm helps with that." She took out a small thing of lip balm with a Poptarts Hot Fudge Sundae flavor from one of her pockets for emphasis.

"You drool?"

"Uh huh," She nodded, as she stashed her lip balm back in her pocket, "Um, y-you're going to look really cute when they come off." She shyly and gently touched his face with her left hand. "But until that time comes... you look really cute with them in." When he smiled happily at her, she timidly averted her gaze again. She even let a little smile grow.

"Hey, why don't we all sit together?" Frankie suggested, "I'm Frankie, Shenzi's stepsister. It'll be fun!" After everyone agreed, they heard an announcement.

"I need everyone's ticket now! No ticket, no seat!"

After some exchanges, the gang plus two handed their tickets to the taker, and found great spots near the front.

When Tommy (plus Angelica) was picked to sing with Emica for her next song, Shenzi scooted closer to Chuckie, making them both blush. They and the others cheered for the two cousins on the stage; Shenzi and Frankie were surprised when they started fighting over the microphone. "Does this happen a lot?" Shenzi asked Chuckie.

"More often than you think," He replied.

"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" Frankie wondered aloud.

"They'll stop themselves," Kimi assured her, "... Eventually."

Chuckie looked down at Shenzi. "So, um..." She looked up at him. "Do you want to uh... hang out sometime? You can go to my house, and we can, y'know, play games or something."

"O-okay," She shrugged, "That sounds fun. How's tomorrow sound? Tomorrow's Saturday."

"Sounds good to me. Um, Sh-Shenzi?"

"Yeah?"

"To be honest..." He hesitated, hoping what he was about to say wouldn't be a turn-off, "My, my nickname isn't Charlie. It's actually... Chuckie."

"Chuckie, huh?" She tilted her head a bit, "I like it; It suits you more. It's cute."

"Thanks," He blushed, "I like your name too."

"Thanks Chuck," She shook her head a bit at that, "Um, y-you don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

"You mean Chuck? Nah, I don't mind it. Uh, s-sorry you weren't chosen to sing on stage."

"It's okay," She shrugged, "It's more fun down here, anyway... with you." Her small hand absentmindedly held his, making them both blush deeper as their fingers intertwined. When the two fighting cousins were forced off the stage and back in the audience, Emica performed another song. The gang enjoyed the rest of the concert, with Shenzi and Chuckie holding hands the entire time.

She couldn't believe it; For the first time since changing schools, she had a friend. And she was going to his house the next day! Her childhood friends, the Goof boys, their cousin, the Zimmeruski twins, and Pistol Pete, were enrolled in a different school, so Frankie was the only friend she had. Now, that just might change.

* * *

Time flew by fast, and before long, it was time to visit her new friend, Chuckie. Shenzi changed into black Tripp punk boys' shorts that reached her knees, raspberry pink Converse high-tops with black laces, a black tongue and one that's white, black sneaker-like ankle socks, black matte ball earrings, a light pink extension, and a black cropped t-shirt, that stopped directly below her belly button, with a pink heart bow on the bust.

Deciding it was casual enough, she headed out when the time came, bidding her family farewell. The Finster residence wasn't too far away from her house, so she walked the 5 minutes there, feeling safe in broad daylight. When she arrived at the address provided to her, she timidly knocked on the door; She was surprised when a woman who looked to be Japanese answered the door. "Oh, hello there," She greeted her.

"H-hi," Shenzi stammered, "Um, i-is Chuckie here?"

"You must be that girl he was talking about last night," The woman guessed with a kind smile, "Come on in." She stepped aside, and the spectacled pre-teen walked in with a shy "thanks." "Chuckie! A cute girl is here for you!" Shenzi blushed at "cute."

"Thanks, Mom!" She heard a familiar voice yell back from the second floor, "Can you send her up in my room?"

"Okay!" She replied, before turning to the pre-teen girl. "He's up in his bedroom; It's the first room you see after going up the stairs."

"Thanks," Shenzi nodded, before she headed that way. She peeked in the first room, and saw a familiar redhead sitting on the bed. "Boo."

He looked at the door, and smiled at who was just outside. "Hey, Shen. Come on in." He blushed a bit at her short shirt as she walked in the room. "Uh, y-you don't mind that nickname, do you?"

"Nah," She assured him, "I like it. So, um..." She was hesitant, but sat on the bed when Chuckie allowed her to. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," He shrugged, "I was just finishing my homework."

"Oh, okay. I do mine on the bus."

"You do?"

"Yeah," She nodded, "I know it's nerdy, but..."

"It's not nerdy," Chuckie assured her, "It's smart. There's a difference."

"Thanks, Chuck. So um, what should we do first?"

The two friends spent the day playing games together, whether they were board or video games, they played them. He was surprised to learn that she was quite the gamer; At least for the Super Mario franchise. She kicked his butt in almost every game they played in the ones with parties. "Dang, you're good at these," He remarked after they finished a Party Cruise on the 7th game.

"Thanks," She replied, "My sister and I play these games a lot together. And sometimes I play them alone, so I get more practice."

"Ah," He nodded. "Shen, I-I want to ask you something; I hope it's not too personal."

"Go ahead."

"Um..." He hesitated, despite her reassuring, "How come you don't show emotion a lot, if at all, at school?"

Her heart froze at his question; Truthfully, she hoped that no one would ask her that. But she didn't want to lie to her friend, with the possibly of him dropping their friendship for lack of honesty. "Uhhh..." She drew out, "I uh..."

"If you feel too uncomfortable to tell me, then don't worry about telling me."

"No, no, I will," She assured him, "It's just that... these two girls from my old school said I was too perky, before Frankie and I started attending your school."

"Too perky?" He raised an eyebrow, "But you're not perky at all."

"That's the point," She told him, "My perk was sucked away like it was a smoothie."

"I see." He didn't know what else to say. Why would anybody say something so cruel to a sweet girl like her? He bet that the real her was the most amazing, wonderful girl in the whole world. "Well, I-I bet the real you is a great person." She shook her head.

"No, the real me is just a childish idiot."

Chuckie sighed quietly. "Shen, I, I don't want to start an argument, but you shouldn't let someone tell you to change yourself, especially if that someone is a person you don't even know. I may not know the real you, but... now I want to."

"Well, I-I'm sorry Chuck, but... the old me is gone."

"Is she really?" He asked her in a serious tone. "Judging by how excited you were at the concert, I don't believe the old you is really gone. She's just hiding from the bullies in this world." He tenderly brushed some hair from her face, making her blush. It was then when he realized: She must take very good care of her hair, because it was so soft that he wanted to run his fingers through it forever. "From what I've learned these past 2 to 3 days, if you're great right now, I can only imagine how amazing you'll be if you let me meet the real you." Shenzi stayed quiet. "I promise I won't make fun of you." She averted her gaze in hesitance. "Hmm..." He tried to think of a solution. "How about this?"

"Yeah?" She looked at him.

"How about we do another one of those party games, 1 on 1," He suggested, "If you win, I won't give you any pressure about... y'know. But if I win... I'll make you show me the real you." He had an evil smile on his face for reference. "What do you say?"

She gave him a determined look, but without smiling. "Bring it on, Finster." They played a duel game against each other, and surprisingly, Chuckie won after a tight competition. Then again, Shenzi was a bit distracted. She wondered what he had in store for making her talk. "So, what interrogation tactic do you have up your sleeve?"

Chuckie then realized; He didn't have one. He was so focused on helping his new friend heal from her emotional pain, that he had forgotten to think of a way to get her to really express herself. Whoops. As she waited in patient anticipation, he tried to think of a solution. What could he do that would make a tough girl talk? Then something caught his eye: Her t-shirt. It stopped a few inches above her waist, so most of her flat stomach was out for the world to see. An evil smirk grew as an idea came to mind. "I have an idea." She looked at him, but before she could respond, he had her face-up on the floor, while carefully sitting on her legs with his hands on her shoulders. "You going to spill the beans?" She stayed quiet with a determined look. "Okay then." Using his left hand, he started poking her ribs over her shirt. Just before a smile associated with giggles could escape, she clapped one hand over her mouth. Since her left arm was up, he lunged his right hand under it, and started tickling her armpit with all his fingers.

"Chuckie, stohohop!" She commanded through hysterical giggles.

"You going to spill?" Chuckie couldn't help but marvel at her lovely, smile and adorable laugh.

"Nohohoho!" She shook her head. Without a word, the redhead's hands mercilessly attacked her armpits and trailed down her sides. For a few seconds, he focused on a sensitive spot on her ribs just below her armpits. She started squirming and trying to protect herself, but Chuckie's tickling hands were too fast. From her thrashing, her shirt had ridden up to the bottom of her ribcage, so her stomach was fully revealed, including her belly button. His evil smile grew when he noticed.

"Y'know Shen, there's one thing I don't understand."

"Whahahahat?!"

"If you're this ticklish, why wear small shirts like this one?" He started squeezing her bare sides and skittered his fingers over her tummy. Her eyes squeezed shut as she squirmed harder and tried to push his hands away. "You going to talk now?"

"Nohohohope! Eahahahahaha!"

As he tickled her sides where they weren't protected, something on the floor close to him caught his eye: A stray, fluffy feather. He figured that Kimi dropped it while carrying some feathers up to her room for a school project. He reached over and grabbed it, while tickling his thrashing friend's belly and ribs. "Okay Shen," He looked down at her after he drew his hand away, giving her a chance to breathe. "You either give up this robo act, or..." He wiggled the feather in the air, close to her face. "You're going to get it."

She sputtered her breath, before making her decision as she pulled her shirt down. "D-do your worst."

"Oh, I plan to." After lifting her shirt back up, Chuckie wiggled the soft, tickly feather in her belly button.

He flinched a bit when she let out a loud squeal, but he didn't stop. "Nohohohoho!" She practically howled with laughter, "N-not the belly button! Stohohop!"

"Tell me what I want to know, and I will!"

"Nohohoho!"

Man, she was stubborn. Not to mention tough, with strong endurance. "I promise I won't make fun of you!" He exclaimed over her hysterical laughter, "You can trust me!" He drew the feather away, so she could breathe. "I just don't want you to feel like you have to hide the real you from the world, just because of the opinions of two girls you don't even know." He looked down at her, right in the eye. "So, can you please drop this no-emotions act? For me?"

Shenzi sighed hesitantly after catching her breath, before she made her decision. "O-okay."

Chuckie couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Shen." He sat on the floor, so she was able to sit cross-legged next to him. "You want to play anything else?" He asked her as she pulled her shirt down.

"Hmm... okay," She shrugged, finally growing a genuine smile. "Can we play another Mario game?"

"Sure," He nodded, "You really love Mario games, don't you?"

"Yep," She nodded, "It's my favorite game frachise. I can play them forever; I ca guarantee that I'll be playing them in a rest home."

"Ah," He chuckled, "How about karts?"

"Sounds good to me."

The two friends spent the rest of the day playing the games together, until it was time for Shenzi to head home. She was sad about having to leave, but she didn't want to make her parents and sister worry. That night, after brushing her teeth and replacing her earrings with black barbells, she changed into pink leopard pajamas, consisting of boyshorts and a camisole that showed around an inch of her tummy if her arms were up. On her feet were black and pink leopard knee-high socks. A joyous smile was on her face as she laid in her bed; She was breaking out of her shell, and she had her new friend to thank.

Chuckie Finster was the greatest friend she ever had; He was sweet, supportive, fun, you name it. Not to mention he was adorable. She was now eager to drop the "no-emorions act", as he called it, but was nervous about fully expressing herself at school. What if she was a target for bullies? Or preppy girls worse than the two that practically turned her into a robot? She would have to wait until Monday to find out. After taking off her glasses, she drifted off to sleep under the warm covers.

* * *

 **(A/N: Well, you know the disclaimer. Not much else to say...)**


	4. A New Clique, And An Old Story

**Love At First Sight**

Ch. 3

* * *

On Monday morning, Shenzi woke up bright and cheery. After showering and brushing her teeth, she changed into a Paper Mario Princess Peach crop top, black high-waisted shorts with a silver moon and stars on the front, classic Converse high-tops, black rose earrings, a yellow extension, a pink Mario mushroom ring, and a black and yellow Mario Super Star hair bow, she routinely had breakfast and waited for the bus with Frankie.

When the bus came, she made a beeline for the seat next to Chuckie. "Hi Chuck," She smiled at him.

"Hey Shen," He smiled back, "You're peppy today. You taking my advice?"

"Yep," She nodded, "I'm not letting any mean girls get to me."

"Good for you," Chuckie's smile grew, "To be honest, I thought you were kind of... intimidating at first."

"Really?" She giggled.

"Yeah," He replied, "Phil called you a creep."

"Oh, I remember hearing that."

"Yeah um, sorry about that," Phil apologized sheepishly from his seat behind them.

"It's okay," She assured him.

At lunch later that day, the Tuck girls sat with their new friends. "Your old school burned down?" Lil confirmed after hearing the fate of Yucaipa Jr. High, "That's a bummer."

"Yea," Frankie shrugged, "So we're just starting over."

"Although our friends since babyhood are attending a different school," Shenzi added solemnly.

"Aww," Chuckie frowned sadly, "That's too bad."

"Yeah," Frankie agreed.

"But hey, you have us now," Kimi pointed out, "We'll all be your new friends." They all nodded in agreement.

"Thanks guys," Shenzi hugged Chuckie from the side, since he was sitting next to her, and he reciprocated.

"It's our pleasure," He smiled at her. "So, um..." He tried to think of a different topic, "You already know Fridge Cominskey? Even before you started coming here?"

"Uh huh," She nodded, "He's like the big brother I never had."

"If you went to different schools, how'd you two meet?" Lil asked her.

"Well, you see..."

l-l

 _One day, Shenzi was in the park close to her house. For this particular day, she was wearing black soffe shorts with a white waistband, a pink varsity loose cropped t-shirt with a silver "25" on the front, just barely showing her belly button, a pink sports bra with black and white stripes trimming it, black rose earrings, black and pink tube socks, and black Converse high-tops with pink laces. Her hair was in a high ponytail, with a pink extension in her bangs._

 _Today, she was practicing kung fu moves in the warm, fresh air. Yep, that's right; She's taking kung fu classes, for exercise and self defense. Although she wore dance clothes for when she practiced outside the classes. She had decided to practice her moves in the park, where she would get fresh air and good exercise at the same time._

 _When she was practicing a stance, she yelped when something solid suddenly rammed into her head. "Ow!" She looked down, and saw a football in the grass._

 _"Hey!" She looked up, and saw a tough-looking boy looking at her. "Toss that over here!" She picked up the ball, and tossed it to him. "You practicing ballet, little girlie?" Another tough boy teased her._

 _She raised an eyebrow. "No-o-o."_

 _"So you're having a tea party then?"_

 _"I'm practicing kung fu moves, if that's alright with you."_

 _"Kung fu?" The first boy's eyes widened, "No way."_

 _"Yes way. Get an eyeful of this." She demonstrated some moves she learned for them. They couldn't help but stare at her slender belly and long legs, despite her young age. "Believe me now?"_

 _"Impressive," The second boy smirked. "Thanks; I'm ready for anything."_

 _"Oh really? What about this?" The first boy suddenly pushed her to the ground, and laughed with his friend._

 _"Ow!" She exclaimed, rubbing her backside. She then glared up at him. "Alright punk, I'm gonna...!"_

 _"Hey! Hey guys, knock it off!" A third boy ran up to them. "Leave her alone." He was a black boy with curly brown hair that reached his shoulders. He was wearing blue shorts, white socks, blue-green sneakers, and like the other two, a blue and yellow football jersey. His had a "6" on the front, while the other two had "10" and "2" on theirs. "You guys get back to the game; I'll be right there."_

 _"What're you...?"_

 _"JUST...!" He seethed in frustration, making Shenzi flinch a bit. Sometimes his football teammates were such morons._

 _"O-okay." After grabbing the football, the two boys dashed away._

 _When they were gone, he turned to the girl on the ground. "Sorry about them." He took her hand, and helped her stand up. "They can be obnoxious."_

 _"It's okay," She assured him, "Thanks. So um, do you go to Yucaipa Jr. High?"_

 _"Nah; I go to Jim Jr. Junior High."_

 _"Ah," She nodded, "Well uh, I'm Shenzi Tuck."_

 _"Cool name." She blushed at that. "I'm Fridge Cominskey."_

 _"Fridge?" She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "My dad gave me the nickname after I joined the football team."_

 _"Ah," She nodded, "Well, I think it's a cool nickname."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _As they stayed silent with smiles on their faces, they had the same thought: '_ We are going to be great friends. _'_

l-l

"And that's how it went," She finished.

"That's pretty interesting," Chuckie remarked.

"... You know kung fu?" Phil asked her.

"Yeah," She giggled, "That's all you got from the story?"

"Oh no," He shook his head, "I just thought it was awesome that you know kung fu."

"Thanks Phil. I'm learning for exercise and self-defense."

"That's a good idea," Chuckie commented, as he thought back to her first gym class in the school. If she knew to defend herself, then she wouldn't have problems with Pangborn. But then again, she just might get in trouble for assaulting a faculty member, and he didn't want that. And he was sure that she didn't either. But then again, the principal knew about Pangborn, and would most likely tell the superintendant.

"You guys want to hang out at the mall after homework?" Kimi asked the group, and they all nodded. "Shenzi, Frankie, you guys want to come with us?"

"Sure," Frankie nodded, "That sounds great."

"I'm in," Shenzi agreed.

* * *

Later that day, the group plus two were dropped off at the entrance to The Big Mall by their resepective parents. As they hung out, Shenzi and Frankie were made official members of their little clique, since they lost theirs due to their other friends attending a different school. At one point, the girls sans one started a new thing for the group: Referring to Shenzi and Chuckie as "Sheckie", since that was their names put together. They had a belief that the two were meant to be together, romantically. Despite their protests, Shenzi and Chuckie themselves were secretly into it as well.

After everyone went home, the two laid in their beds with their thoughts occupying them.

She had always wanted a boyfriend, despite her young age; One as cute, sweet, smart, and supportive as Chuckie. She wanted to kiss every one of those adorable freckles on his cheeks. She wanted to run her fingers through his red, desirable hair. She wanted to protect him from any bullies that dared to pick on him. She wanted to give him everything he wanted and then some.

Shortly, she wanted him as her boyfriend to hold, and love for eternity.

At the same time, Chuckie desired a girlfriend as pretty, sweet, intelligent, and fun as Shenzi. His heart ached when she told him of the bullies from her old school, and in the park. He wanted to make any bullies in the future back off, and leave her alone. He wanted to comfort her every time she was unfairly picked on. He wanted to hold her, and never let her go. He wanted to protect her from those who wanted to hurt her, physically or emotionally. He wanted to wipe and kiss her tears away if she cried. He wanted to run his fingers through her soft, ebony tresses that covered her shoulders. He wanted to gaze into those big, beautiful eyes and never break away. He wanted to brush her hair from her face as she slept. He wanted to take her pain and suffering away if she was sick or hurt. He wanted to tickle her sides and hear more of her adorable laughs and giggles.

In a nutshell, he wanted her as his girlfriend, to love and cherish forever. She clearly needed it. But they were both oblivious to just how they felt about each other. If only they knew.

* * *

 **(A/N: Sorry that there aren't a lot of major events in this chapter. It'll get better; That's a promise! You know the disclaimer.)**


	5. The Old and the Restless

**(A/N: This chapter was inspired by the AGU episode "The Old and the Restless", hence the chapter title. Enjoy!)**

* * *

 **Love At First Sight**

Ch. 4

* * *

After waking up one day, Shenzi hastily changed into a black, green, and red plaid skirt with two lace-up details on the waistband and black tulle underneath, black cycle shorts under it, a black halter cropped tank top that showed her belly but covered her belly button, stopping just below it, a dark red extension, all black Converse high-tops, black rose earrings, and a black cross charm bracelet. She grabbed her black lace cropped moto jacket on the way out. On this particular day, the students were going on a field trip to the Human Body Museum, to learn about... the human body. Kimi was feeling under the weather, so she was unable to come.

Meanwhile, Frankie was wearing a Betsey Johnson anchor pinup-printed dress with gold chains on the straps, a white ruffled crop blouse under it, black and dark red Mary Janes, a simple black ponytail band, and pink frog front-and-back earrings.

Yesterday, they learned that if they filled the front of the pamphlet with stickers at certain spots, then they would earn a keychain, which they were both enthusiastic about. But what really got Shenzi ecstatic was that she was in the same group as Chuckie! Frankie however, was assigned to be in the same group as Tommy.

Their parents dropped them off at their school, where they waited with the groups of students for... they didn't know. They apologized to their science teacher, Mr. Beaker, for running late before looking for their groups. "Hey Chuckie," Shenzi ran up to him, "What's everyone waiting for?"

"Tommy's grandpa is running late."

Shenzi glanced at his watch. "10 minutes late? Wow, I thought me and Frankie were in trouble."

Frankie joined the other group, coming up to Tommy and the twins. "Hey guys," She greeted them, "What're we waiting for?"

"My grandpa's running late," Tommy explained.

"I thought your dad was taking us."

"He and Mom had to take Dil to the doctor for a burping problem, so he had to cancel."

"Ah."

After around 2 minutes, a car hastily drove up, and parked partially on the curb. When Grandpa Lou Pickles exited the vehicle, his glasses were above his forehead for an unknown reason. "Sorry I'm late. Couldn't find my con flabbit glasses anywhere."

The students laughed as the Tuck girls stifled giggles. "They're on top of your head, Grandpa," Tommy pointed out. "He always does that," He told the others.

"Well I'll be a salamander's second tail," Lou muttered as he lowered his glasses back on his nose.

"Glad to see you, Mr. Pickles," The teacher greeted him in his usual, dull voice, "I'm Mr. Beaker. No reason for alarm, but we're 12 minutes late."

"12?!" Frankie's eyes widened.

"Can we just go now, _Grandpa?_ " Justin Rogers requested, and the other students joined him. Luckily for them, Mr. Beaker started guiding them to the bus.

"It's not as if the museum's going to get up, and walk away," Lou remarked as he boarded with Tommy, who Frankie closely followed. As they headed for the middle row, they saw Shenzi and Chuckie absentmindedly holding hands. "Don't look now, Scout, but I do believe those two have a little _thing_ going on." Lou winked at and playfully nudged Tommy at "thing."

"Uh, wh-what makes you say that?"

Frankie giggled at his obliviousness. "Come on, Tom, the signs are all there, crystal clear."

"She's right, y'know. Believe me, I know that look when I see it; When one is bitten by the love bug. The two, how you say, chosen ones stare into each other's eyes, with no words spoken..." Little did they know, the mentioned duo were repeating his words. "They take each other's hands, before they lean in for that special first kiss." Shenzi and Chuckie were actually inches apart with their lips puckered and their eyes closed.

But they were unintentionally interrupted by Mr. Beaker's announcement as the bus slowed to a stop. "We're here." The students cheered as they filed out, Shenzi and Chuckie holding hands the whole time to keep from getting separated.

The museum was in the shape of a man posed in a certain way. The left hand carried a yellow transparent and orange sphere that doubled as the elevator, where the group gathered. "Come on Grandpa, this place is tight and out of sight," Tommy remarked.

"This is the coolest elevator I've ever seen," Shenzi remarked. The elevator stopped at the mouth and the students filed out between two teeth and on the tongue, where employees dressed as doctors handed out pamphlets to them. The woman mistook Shenzi and Chuckie for a romantic couple when she handed them their pamphlets. Their group went ahead with Mr. Beaker, while the other group stayed where they were.

"I'll go to the wisdom tooth booth for information," Lou told them, "It's my job to get you kids the stuff you're going to need." The kids glanced down at their pamphlets. "You stay put." He then headed for the booth.

"Wait!" Lil called out.

"We already got our...!" Frankie tried to tell him, but he didn't seem to hear her. "I guess he didn't see us get them."

The group went ahead to the uvula, while Tommy was reluctant.

"We need a sticker from each place we go," Phil said, "We get all the stickers, we are kings of the keychains."

"Score one primo mouth sticker," Tommy walked up to them from the sticker booth, placing it on the proper spot on his pamphlet as Frankie headed towards the booth. When they looked at the wisdom tooth booth, they saw that Lou was still there, now with a security guard. Justin facepalmed as he and Sean witnessed with annoyance. "He'll be right back, guys," Tommy assured them.

"We're never going to make it to the toes," Phil whispered to Lil in distraught.

"And that's the story of the day they wrestled out my tonsils," Lou finished a story from his past. The group groaned in irritance. "Or was it my gall bladder?" Frankie grimaced in discomfort from her place in the back left seat next to Tommy. "Well it was _something_ floating in the jar." The blonde squirmed in her seat a bit, but was unnoticed. "Nothing like a nice, slow sail through the esophagus, I always say." Frankie raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, and was unnoticed again. "Which to the Greeks is oisophagos."

In the boat ahead of them, Shenzi and Chuckie were sitting in the back row, hand-in-hand and side-by-side. "This is kind of relaxing, isn't it?" She remarked.

"Yeah," He agreed, "It is." He was surprised when she laid on his shoulder, with her hand under his. He blushed when her soft, dark hair brushed his cheek and neck. He could smell the green apple scented shampoo and conditioner she used every day. Deciding that it was a good time, he started leaning down towards her, eyes closed and lips puckered again. But just before they could connect, the boat suddenly stopped, surprising them.

"We're here," Mr. Beaker dully announced.

"A skeleton walks into a diner," An animtronic skeleton was performing stand-up comedy when Tommy and Frankie's group arrived at the area, "Orders a soda, and a mop!" Another skeleton played the drums in the classic joke rimshot, and the group laughed at the joke. Frankie glanced at Tommy when he walked up to Sean and Justin. "You'll never guess what I had for dinner last night: Ribs!" Lou laughed at the joke, while Frankie giggled in her hand.

Meanwhile, the other group was in line for The Spleen Scream roller coaster. "Wow, that looks intense," Shenzi remarked with wide eyes.

"Yep," Chuckie agreed.

"Who's sitting up front?"

He sighed shakily, before he responded. "I will."

"Hold onto your craniums; This is gonna rattle your bones!"

"Hey, Tommy!" Chuckie yelled down to Tommy from his spot in the front row. Shenzi was right behind him, with Mr. Beaker behind her. "Now I know why they call it The Spleen Scre-EEEEAAAAAMMMM!" The coaster dipped down, making Chuckie shriek from the adrenaline.

As the cars rode a loop, he shielded his eyes, while Shenzi had her arms up in the air from the excitement. That combined with gravity made her shirt rise up to reveal her belly button, but she didn't notice.

"Man, The Spleen Scream is one _more_ fun thing we won't be doing today," Phil vented to Lil, "Which also means we could say adios to our keychains." They headed for the next stop.

"I know," She agreed, "Bringing Grandpa Lou wasn't exactly a great idea. What was Tommy thinking?" Tommy lingered behind with hesitance, while Frankie stayed with him. She laid a hand on his shoulder to assure him that she was on his side.

Meanwhile, when they disembarked, Shenzi's shirt was still bunched up so her belly button just barely peaked out. "Wowee!" She exclaimed, "What a rush!" She pulled her shirt back down. "If we have extra time, let's do that again!"

With the other group, Lou was looking at a directory that was shaped like the pamphlets. "Hmm, the best route seems to be..."

"Uh, this way!" Tommy cut him off nervously, "Movin' on!" He guided him to the route he selected, with the other students following. They passed a heart exhibit that seemed to be closed.

"Whoa, slow it down there, Slugger," Lou stopped Tommy and the rest of the group, "We're whizzing right by the heart exhibit." They saw a sign reading "Please Excuse Us While We Mend Our Broken Heart."

"It's busted, so we can go," Tommy grabbed his wrist, "Now."

"Well, it's one less sticker we've got to get," Lil pointed out.

"I love a technicality," Phil sarcastically reponded. But Sean and Justin stayed at the entrance to the dark room.

"Bet it's pretty cool in there," Justin remarked. From a distance away, Tommy and Frankie spotted them lingering behind.

But before the two boys could enter the room, Lou caught up to them. "That's off-limits. Come on, fellas." He guided them back to the group.

They stopped at another exhibit, where they met with the other group. "And that's what makes the appendix one of the most impressive, yet utterly useless organs," Mr. Beaker finished a lecture as they entered.

"Where've you guys been?" Chuckie asked Tommy, Frankie, and the twins with Shenzi next to him.

"Pretty much _nowhere,_ " Lil replied.

"And it's been a 0 on the gross-ometer," Phil added.

"Guys, we've totally caught up!" Tommy pointed out, grabbing Chuckie's pamphlet, "Check it out!" He compared it to his, and sure enough, they had the same stickers.

"Tommy, I don't know how to tell you this, but I guess plain English is the best way, uh... we lapped ya." He held up a heart keychain, as Tommy and the twins groaned. "I'm giving this one to Kimi, 'cause she's a good kid... ney." Phil and Lil stared blankly at him. "Get it?" He giggled hesitantly, "Kid-ney?" Tommy gave him an unenthusiastic look, along with Frankie as Shenzi smirked at him. "Okay, off to the thigh." He and his raven-haired friend walked away.

"We may be slow, but at least we're not catching bad joke Beaker-itus," Phil pointed out.

"Hey guys, it's not too late," Tommy told them, "And Grandpa's movin'... a little faster. In case you _haven't noticed,_ " He finished with a glare to the twins.

"I'm pooped," Lou remarked after yawning, as he headed for some chairs, "We could all use a rest anyway, right?"

"No!" The twins and the two popular boys griped, while Frankie stayed silent.

"You look rested to me, Grandpa," Tommy walked up to him, "Let's go, and-and maybe from now on, you can just give us the "best of", instead of reading the entire pamphlet, okay?"

"Oh really? Heh, I thought it was my job."

"And a fine job you've done." Before Lou could respond, Tommy carefully pulled him off the chair.

Later, the group prepared to enjoy another ride the museum had to offer. Phil and Lil were next to each other, while Sean was at her right. Frankie was between Tommy and Justin. "Burning Stomach's the _second_ best ride," Lil pointed out hesitantly to her twin brother.

"Now these straps remind me of when we parachuted smack-dab in the middle of an enemy fort." As Lou told his story, the employee was trying to strap him in.

"Um, hey Grandpa," Justin cut him off after a couple more seconds into the tale, "They can't start the ride until everyone's strapped in." The kids griped once again as Frankie stayed quiet.

"Come on Grandpa, maybe we should sit this one out." Tommy unbuckled himself, and guided Lou out of the ride. When they were out, the ride started spinning.

"WOOOOO!" Frankie screamed with ecstacy, along with the other passengers as her short, blonde hair flew everywhere. "WOOOOHOOOOO!" Little did she know that outside the ride, a much less exciting situation was happening.

"Grandpa, you're-you're, totally embarrassing me!" Tommy finished his rant. "Well, if I'm "embarrassing you" so much, maybe I shouldn't have offered to help out in the first place," Lou retorted angrily.

"I just meant, you're acting so... so..." Tommy hesitated.

" _Old?_ Well excuse me for living."

"Grandpa..."

"Maybe I'm not as spry as I used to be. Maybe my hearing isn't what it once was. Fact is, I _am_ old; And there's nothing I can do about it."

Meanwhile, the ride slowed to a stop, and the tipsy passengers disembarked. When Frankie recovered from dizziness, she saw what was happening. ' _Uh oh,_ ' She thought.

"It's just that, my friends..."

"Save it. No time for your stories right now either. We're moving out!" The group were surprised at how much Lou's pace suddenly picked up in the nose section. "No dilly-dallying, folks! Got a lot of body to cover, and not much time! Fast enough for you, Thomas?"

"Alright, Pickles," Sean and Justin caught up with Tommy and Frankie, "Way to push the fast-forward button on your grandpa." The two older boys walked ahead, as Tommy stopped.

"Yeah," He agreed half-heartedly.

"We're catching up fast," Lil remarked to Phil.

"Yeah, but it'd be nice if we could at least stop and smell the mucus," Phil said. Frankie grimaced at his words, but stayed quiet.

They then stopped at a section with two paths: The lungs exhibits. "This is the left lung," Lou lectured the students from the doorway, "Right one looks just the same. Moving on!" They then left almost immediately, and stopped at a slide called "Intestine Run." "Go! Go! Go!" The group hastily slid down, one-by-one. Phil slid first after Sean and Justin, with Lil following.

"Mr. Pickles, can we slow down a little bit?" Frankie requested, feeling a bit out of breath.

"Not on my watch, little lady. We have so many exhibits to see, and so little time to see them. Now, go!" She then slid down, daringly going head-first upside down, with Tommy lingering behind her. She was thankful for deciding to wear boyshorts under her dress.

"Grandpa, maybe we can slow down just a little."

"You don't say!" Lou glared, before Tommy slid down, and Lou followed.

"You okay, Grandpa?" Tommy asked him after he landed on his back. As she sat up, Frankie saw Lou walk up to the chairs with one hand on his back.

"Our dreams of making it to the toes just crashed and burned," Justin remarked.

"Time to ditch," Sean decided, "You coming, Pickles?" He and Justin started walking away, as Tommy lingered.

"We can't leave," He told them, "He'll be fine. Just give him a minute."

"We-ell, It's not the first time I threw my goshdarn back out," Lou was telling a story to the students, including Frankie, "I remember once when I was chasing Tommy, he... he just ripped his diaper off, see, and he was heading for the front yard. Oh, you should have seen those cute little butt cheeks flapping in the wind!" The students laughed at that, except an embarrassed Tommy.

He glared at Frankie when she was laughing, and she was immediately quiet. "That tears it; Let's go." Tommy walked away as Sean and Justin watched him. After they started following him, Frankie noticed them and followed.

"And that's when he learned that bare buns and rose bushes don't mix," Lou finished the story, not noticing the 4 stowaways.

Frankie and the boys walked up to the still busted heart exhibit that they encountered earlier. "But I thought the whole idea was to get to the toes faster," Tommy pointed out when Sean walked in the dark room.

"Yeah, and without your gramps, we will," Justin retorted as he ducked down under the rope and entered the room. "We just want to check this out first."

"But we're not allowed in there," Frankie told them.

""Not allowed" is what we do best." Sean jumped into the heart through a window, and Justin followed, along with a reluctant Tommy and Frankie.

"L-l-looks dangerous, a-and boring, so..."

"I say it's cool," Sean cut him off. He then started climbing on an unsteady support beam.

"That doesn't look very- watch it!" Tommy exclaimed when the beam started coming down. To their horror, the mess caused the window to be blocked off; They were trapped! "Oh man!" Sean and Justin hugged each other in fear, as Frankie clutched her hair.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shenzi and Chuckie had just exited the lungs exhibits with their groups. "This has been a fun day so far," She remarked, with her hand in his.

"Yep," He agreed, "I almost peed myself on The Spleen Scream and Burning Stomach, but still." She stifled giggles in her free hand. "That Shin Dig was pretty fun. So, you like the keychain you picked out?"

"Yeah, I do," She nodded, holding up her eyeball keychain. "I bet Kimi will like the one you picked for her."

"I hope so."

"I know she will; She'll appreciate that you thought of her while you were here. I know I would, if I was in her situation." She kissed his cheek, making him blush. She then voiced her thoughts that actually matched his: "I wonder how Tommy's group is holding up."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tommy was trying to unblock the window with Frankie's assistance, while the two older boys stayed put. "We could use some help," He told them.

"You want to get out of here, or what?" She glared at them when they didn't move aside from glancing at each other.

"I don't do manual labor," Sean said, but Justin came up and helped them. The board ended up snapping in two.

"My grandpa taught me the old leverage trick when we built my tree house." Tommy grabbed a rope, and swung it up to a board high up above them.

"Nice shot," Justin complimented him sincerely.

"Yeah; I learned it from the fishing channel." He tied one end of the rope to another board. "It was on a lot in our house when I was growing up." He, Justin, and Frankie started pulling the rope with all their combined strength.

"Let me guess who was watching it: The geezer, right?" Sean said.

That did it. "You know what, Sean?" Tommy started berating him, as Frankie glared with her hands on her hips after they let go of the rope, "My Grandpa may do some embarrassing stuff sometimes, but he's still my grandpa. So shut your pie hole!" The brunette boy looked sincerely shocked at his last sentence.

Frankie couldn't help but smirk as Tommy walked away. "Would you like some water, Sean?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You just got burned." She smiled proudly at him, before strutting away with her hair whipping at her head turn.

"What'll we do about that?" Justin wondered aloud about the blocked window. He tried to move a vertical board, but it was stuck.

Tommy climbed up the rope, and on the high beam as he felt nervous. "Pick a spot," He told himself, "Stare at it." Frankie, Justin, and Sean watched him from the floor. "Clear your mind."

"What's that going to do?" Sean wondered aloud, clearly feigning interest.

"You heard Tommy; Shut it, Sean!" Justin retaliated, as Frankie smirked with her arms crossed. "Let the kid work." The purple-haired boy walked along the skinny beam, and succeeded in pushing the vertical board down. When Sean ran to the now unblocked window, he stepped on a board that snapped in two. One piece flew up, and landed on a lever that turned on the exhibit and closed the window.

Meanwhile at the "Shin Dig", the kids plus Lou were digging out bones. "Big enough to be from a giraffe, or a flamingo," He remarked about a long bone that he dug up, "Tommy has gotta see this." He then noticed that his grandson still wasn't around. "Where'd you say he was again?" He asked Phil and Lil, but they provided contradictive information. "Come to think of it, where are those older boys? And that blonde girl? Alright, let's move it out, troops! We've got a recon mission!" The twins stood up and followed him.

* * *

"Where could they be?" Lil wondered aloud after a while of searching, "We've looked from the head to the feet."

"It's way too soon to admit defeat," Lou adjusted his hearing aid, "We'll find them." He then stopped after passing a certain exhibit. "Wait a goldarn minute here. If that heart exhibit is on the fritz, why's it beating?" Phil and Lil caught up with him, and they both shrugged at his question.

The 4 stowaways tried to free themselves by forcing the window open, but to no avail. "It's not working," Sean groaned, "Any more big ideas, Mr. Film Maker? I'm too young, cool, and popular to die!" Frankie rolled her eyes at him as she continued pushing on the board.

"Tommy boy? You in there?" They heard Lou's voice from just outside a window.

"Grandpa!" Tommy ran up to the window with Frankie following. "We're trapped! The valve door is stuck!"

"Well cool your jets, Scout. We'll get you out."

"Oh man!" Sean ran up to the window. "You found us! Thanks!" Justin ran up next to him. "And uh, hurry!"

"Again with the hurry; What's with you whippersnappers?"

"Shouldn't you get help?" Lil wondered aloud.

" _You_ go!" Lou commanded her and Phil. Just then, one of the pipes broke a bit, and steam blew out of it. "I gotta stay here before she blows!" After the twins dashed out of the room, Lou ran up the stairs, where he saw a map for the exhibit, and an open tunnel. "Looks like you kids are in the left ventricle! Should be a pulmonary artery opening somewhere behind you!" The 4 looked around, before Tommy spotted it behind a tool box.

"Found it! But it's really small!"

"You're going to have to combat crawl like I did to get out of that porthole in the war, remember?"

"Follow me, guys!" Tommy started crawling through the artery tunnel, with Frankie following close behind. Justin and Sean crawled in after her. Soon, they were in the vertical tunnel where Lou was waiting for them. "We're almost out! Just keep going!" But as soon as Tommy said that, the exhibit started shaking. Then a plaque-like substance started pouring down, flooding the exhibit.

"What's happening?" When Sean looked down, he saw the substance flooding the tunnel at a fast rate. They started picking up their pace.

"Hold on kids, I'm coming in!" Lou started climbing down the tunnel. "I'll get to ya!" Some substance spewed in on him, and fell down; Tommy, Justin, and Frankie braced themselves to avoid it, but Sean was too slow. Soon, Tommy started using one of Lou's war stories to help them escape. But then the substance started coming down in a pattern in big masses. "1, 2, 3," After some substance squirted out, Lou grabbed Tommy's hand and pulled him up. "Crawl!" Frankie and Justin ducked to avoid another mass, and it landed on Sean. "1, 2, 3, crawl!" Lou pulled Frankie up to safety with Tommy. He repeated the action with Justin and Sean, so they were all rescued; They ran down the stairs before anything else could happen to them. They dashed in the hallway, knocking down the rope and sign, and caught their breath. After Tommy and Lou made up, they headed for a certain area that they went to before.

"Cool! Now I have a liver inside _and_ out!" Phil held up his new keychain, and admired it. "Love the keychain."

"Good! But you still need a key," Lil pointed out. All the kids in the group earned a liver keychain as well, for filling out their pamphlets.

"There's time for one more ride on The Spleen Scream," Mr. Beaker announced, and the kids cheered.

Lou turned to Tommy. "Let's go, Scout. It's what you've been waiting for, right?"

"Uh Grandpa, there's something I'd actually rather do." They walked to a different area.

From the line, Frankie was surprised to see them go, but kept it to herself. Once she reached the front, Shenzi and Chuckie allowed her to sit in the front seat, since she couldn't ride the first time. Like her sister, she was screaming with ecstacy, as her arms were up.

* * *

Later, the groups reunited and gathered in the elevator to wait for the bus. "Today was fun," Frankie remarked, "Although the incident in the heart exhibit was scary, escaping it was kind of exciting."

A thought then entered Tommy's mind; He turned to the Tuck girls. "I uh, I don't think I've properly introduced you guys, have I?" When they shrugged, he continued. "Okay, so Shenzi, Frankie, this is my Grandpa Lou." They waved with kind "Hi's", Shenzi using her hand that wasn't holding Chuckie's. "Grandpa, this is Frankie and Shenzi Tuck. They started attending Jim Jr. Junior High only a few days ago."

"Ah; Couple of new girls, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Shenzi shrugged.

"Our old school, Yucaipa Jr. High burned down," Frankie added, "So we're just starting over, in a way."

"Aren't you the bus driver?" Shenzi asked him.

"Used to be," Lou replied, "But the principal made me retire."

"Ah," The black-haired girl nodded, "Well I just remember seeing you on mine and Frankie's first day."

"Do you really? Well, I remember seeing you two young ladies on that day."

"Really?" Shenzi smiled.

"You do?" Frankie added.

"Darn tootin'. I remember you were much droller, though."

"It's a long story," Shenzi shrugged, "You see, these two girls made fun of me for being too perky, so I basically turned myself into a robot since me and Frankie were starting at a new school. But Chuckie convinced me to not let them get to me, so I've been taking his advice." Chuckie smiled down at her.

"Good for you. I think those two girls were, and still are jealous of you."

"Jealous?" Her eyebrows raised up in surprise. "Oh, no, um, they're much prettier than me."

"I doubt that," Chuckie chimed in.

"As do I," Lou added, "Both you and your sister are very pretty girls." They both blushed shyly.

"Th-thanks," The younger girl smiled timidly.

"Y-yeah, thanks," Frankie added.

The conversation continued on as they exited the elevator, and boarded the bus, where the 5 of them sat in the very back. Frankie felt like during the field trip, she became a lot closer to Tommy than before, and had the desire to meet the rest of his family. Same with Shenzi and Chuckie, although she already met his family.

So in a way, two friends bonded more tightly, and an entirely new friendship blossomed.

* * *

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! You know the disclaimer. I wanted to give Frankie a bigger role than before. Also, I'm feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, so updates might be slightly less frequent.)**


	6. Sheckie's First Date

**(A/N: Yep, writers' block has struck again. :/ Enjoy! I hope...)**

* * *

 **Love At First Sight**

Ch. 5

* * *

After a few weeks, Shenzi and Frankie felt like they were starting to fit in at Jim Jr. Junior High. Their new friends helped them with any troubles they had, and Fridge even became an on-off member of their little group.

But more importantly, as time went on, Shenzi's crush on Chuckie grew. She didn't just see him as a cute face; She also saw him as a wonderful, worthwhile human being. He supported her when she needed it, and he seemed to understand her like no one else did. She had a lot in common with him as well; They were both academically smart, they both started wearing glasses at a young age (Chuckie at 2, Shenzi at 4), they were both considered nerds or geeks by their peers, not their friends, and they were both awkward, and not exactly popular. It was almost like a match made in heaven. But did he really like her the way Tommy, Kimi, and the twins described? There was just no way; He wouldn't be in love with a girl like her. She wasn't attractive or appealing enough. If he did have feelings for her, it's guaranteed that he was over them now. "Attention students," Pangborn's voice over the intercom snapped her out of her thoughts, "The Jim Jr. Summer Dance is this Saturday, so if you know who you want to ask to be your date, you better hop to it!"

"Hey, Shen?" She turned around, and saw Chuckie behind her, looking a bit nervous.

"Hi, Chuckie. What's up?"

"Well um," He hesitated, "I was just wondering... will you go to the dance, with... me?" She blushed at that. He wanted to go to the dance with her? _Willingly?_ She was oblivious to the fact that she was keeping him waiting for several seconds. "Shen?" She flinched when he gently nudged her. "You okay? You seemed to be in a daze."

"Y-yeah, I'm alright."

"So um, will you go with me?"

She let a shy smile grow. "Yes, I will."

"Awesome," He hugged her, "Thanks. I'll meet you outside the gym, okay?"

"Alright," She nodded.

* * *

On Saturday night, the Tuck girls changed into their outfits for the dance. Shenzi was wearing a black distressed denim skirt, a teal and purple rose printed crop top, black vintage flats, a large black hair bow on the back of her head, black flower outline earrings, a black wavy extension with hints of dark pink and forest green, and a black lace-trimmed camisole that stopped around half an inch above her skirt waistband. Frankie was in a sunflower-printed rayon babydoll dress with short sleeves, a white v-neck button-up vest, a pair of tennis shoes and a hair scrunchie that matched her dress, white socks with white organza lace, and white and yellow flower earrings.

Surprisingly, Frankie earned a date in Tommy for the dance. Since the Goofs and Zimmeruskis were at a different school, she didn't know who to ask, but after remembering how she bonded with Tommy during the field trip, she decided to ask him, and was surprised that he accepted. When she looked at Shenzi while their parents drove them to the school, she was amused at how bouncy she was; She and Chuckie definitely made an adorable couple in her eyes. She noticed how much the redhead had in common with her baby sister, and realized right then and there that they were meant for each other. She hoped that they would get married later in life; They'd be so happy together! Plus the Finsters would make great in-laws.

Frankie was snapped out of her thoughts by the car slowing to a stop. She and Shenzi exited the car, and entered the building with eagerness. While Shenzi used the bathroom, Frankie headed for the gym, where Tommy and Chuckie were waiting. "Hi guys," She greeted them, "Shenzi's in the bathroom, Chuckie. She shouldn't be too long."

"Okay, thanks."

"No prob. Come on Tommy, let's get in there." Hand-in-hand, the two walked in the gym.

"That's a nice dress, Frankie," Tommy complimented her.

"Thanks," She smiled.

At the doors, Chuckie waited for his date to arrive. He grew concerned when a few minutes passed and she still hadn't come out. After checking his surroundings for her, he walked to the bathroms, and pressed his ear against the girls' bathroom door. "You really think I'm going to fall for that again?" He heard Shenzi's voice.

"Didn't we tell you that nobody likes overly-perky people?" Chuckie's heart fell at that. Whoever Shenzi was talking to had to be whoever told her to robo-fy herself. He glared angrily as he listened on.

"Yeah, we told you and you clearly didn't listen."

"I guess we should've taken into account on how very stupid you are."

That did it for Chuckie. As fury bubbled up, he burst into the room. "Okay, that's enough!" He yelled angrily, and turned to the girls he didn't recognize. Little did he know, his friend had tears of emotional pain prepared to fall. "You two have a lot of nerve, talking to her like that!"

"Who're you to tell us what to do, geek?"

"I'm her best friend, that's who. And whether she's deprived of emotion or full of it, she's an amazing girl. And you have no right to force her into changing herself!" The preps walked out of the bathroom in a huff, leaving the two friends alone. When Chuckie looked at Shenzi, he saw how emotionally broken she looked. Her breathing was shaky, and tears lingered in her eyes. "You okay, Shen?" He softly asked her. She only responded with trembly breaths, and a slight head shake. When he held his arms out in offering, she buried her face in his chest and let it out. He hugged her firmly as she soaked his shirt with her tears. He didn't know how anyone could be so heartless. Didn't they realize how much they were emotionally breaking her? Did they just not care? Most likely. He rubbed her back and stroked her hair as her small hand clutched his shirt tightly. He wished he could put those bullies in their place, so they would back off permanently, but how? They were too persistent and selfish, and he was too weak. He looked down when Shenzi pulled back and sniffled. "Don't let them get to you," He wiped her tears away, "Like I said a while back, they don't know you like I do, and they have no right to tell you to change yourself."

She stayed quiet for a couple seconds, before laying on his chest. "Thanks, Chuck."

"You're welcome." He patted her back gently. "You want to go out there, to the dance?"

He felt her nod her head. "Okay." Hand-in-hand, they headed for the gym.

"If those two are in there, and they try to bother you again, then we can go somewhere else."

"Deal," She nodded.

"Oh, by the way; Shen?"

"Yeah?"

"You look great."

Her cheeks flushed pink at that. "Thanks." When they entered the gym through the heavy doors, some couples were already dancing to the fast song, and the two friends quickly joined in. They laughed at each other's silly dancing that opposed to everyone else's more serious moves. "Hey Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to um, get a hamburger at the mall sometime?"

"You mean like a date?" This surprised him; He was never asked out before. Normally he did the asking, and he was almost always rejected.

"Uh huh."

He smiled warmly at her. "I'd love to. What day?"

"Is Sunday out of the question?"

"You mean tomorrow? Nah, that's fine."

"Is 3 o'clock good?"

"Yep. See you there."

"You too."

* * *

On Sunday, Shenzi prepared for her date with Chuckie, feeling excitement. For a casual look, she wore a white loose skull cropped t-shirt, black bermuda shorts, a black and white plaid flannel shirt, a white extension, and black rose earrings. For good measure, she also added a bracelet and ring that matched her earrings. After grabbing her black leather purse, which resembled a biker jacket, she waited in the living room on the couch for until it was time to head to the mall. As she twiddled her thumbs anxiously, she looked up upon feeling someone sit next to her; She smiled when she saw it was her father. "You excited for your date?"

"Uh huh," She nodded, "A little nervous too. I want the date to go perfectly."

"You'll be alright," Friar Tuck assured her.

"I hope so," She almost whispered. Her heart leapt when she heard a vehicle stop just outside. "Th-there's my ride. I'll be back before dinner." She walked out, and sat in the backseat of the Finster family car with Chuckie.

"Hi Shen," Her friend/date greeted her.

"H-hi Chuck," She smiled with uneasiness evident.

"You alright? You seem distracted."

"I'm fine," She assured him, "Just a little nervous. I want this date to go perfectly."

"Don't worry, it will," He gently patted her shoulder, "I know it." He then decided to change the subject to something more comfortable for her. "So um, have you ever been to The Big Mall before?"

"A few times," She shrugged, "With my family."

"Ah," He nodded, "Cool."

"So, Shenzi is it?" Chaz glanced back at them, "Chuckie told me quite a bit about you."

"He did?" She blushed timidly, "What'd he say?"

"I can't exactly quote what he told me, but I know he said something about the prettiest girl he'd ever seen." Her blush deepened. "And after seeing you in person, I think he was right."

"Th-thanks, Mr. Finster," She stammered.

"Please, call me Chaz," He insisted.

"O-okay then, Chaz," She shrugged.

"He also said that you were a little intimidating too."

"That's kind of a long story."

"Well, you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable with it; It's none of my business."

"Okay, thanks."

"So Chuckie, did you give it to her yet?"

"Oh, no; Not yet."

"Huh?" She looked at Chuckie.

"Well, when we first picked you up, I meant to give you something." From behind his leg, he took out a single black rose, and held it to her. "Here you go."

She blushed again as she shyly accepted it. "Th-thanks, Chuckie."

"You're welcome. I remembered you telling me that all black flowers are your favorite kind. Dad tried to choose a red one, but I insisted on the black."

"Well, it's beautiful." She absentmindedly twirled it between her thumb and index finger on the stem. "Thanks." She kissed Chuckie's cheek, surprising him.

"Y-you're welcome," He stammered.

She made a mental note to ask either one of her parents to take her shopping for a vase after she comes back from the mall. She hoped to place it on her cards table, so she could see it every night and morning.

After a couple minutes, the car was parked in the mall parking lot. "Here we are," Chaz announced, "You kids have fun."

"We will," Chuckie said as he and Shenzi unbuckled themselves, opened their doors, and stepped out of the car. "Thanks, Dad." Hand-in-hand, the two friends headed for the building, and walked in the front entrance. "So, what should we do first?"

"I'm not sure," She shrugged, "I don't really know the ups and downs of this mall. What do you recommend?" The two friends/dates had a blast together throughout the day. They played in the arcade, crawled around in its kiddie area despite being too big for it, shamelessly danced to classic songs playing from the TV screen in the Disney Store, and even experienced the Mall Jump after Shenzi coaxed Chuckie into it. She felt thankful that she wore shorts instead of a skirt in that moment. After going together, they recorded each other one on one with their phones for memories. They were both disappointed when it started getting late, and was time to head home. After calling Chaz, Chuckie and Shenzi waited outside by the entrance for him to come.

"So you had fun today?" He asked her.

"Yep," She nodded, "You?"

"I sure did," He replied, "I never knew the Mall Jump was so much fun."

"To be honest, that was my first time on it," She admitted.

"Really?"

"Yep. And I thought that while I was here with you, it was the perfect opportunity. So it was a first for both of us that we experienced together."

"True," Chuckie agreed, "Well, I'm glad you had fun on our date. Um, I hope this isn't too sudden, but... do you want to have lunch in the park sometime?"

"That sounds very nice," She smiled, "How does this Saturday sound?"

"Sounds good to me," He nodded.

"Then it's a date," She kissed his cheek, making him blush.

"A-awesome," He stammered, making her giggle a bit. He was surprised when she laid her head on his shoulder. Did she really like him in the way Frankie described? A beautiful girl like her would never be into a boy like him, even if he did have a crush on her... which he did. She was the sweetest, prettiest, and cutest girl that he ever had the pleasure to know. He just wished that she could see that whenever she looked in the mirror. How on Earth did she see herself as ugly? She had an adorable, pretty face, beautiful flowing hair, large eyes that sparkled in the sun, you name it.

And she had a redeeming personality as well; Sweet, fun, energetic, funny, smart, etc. Although he admitted that she wasn't exactly flawless. She seemed to let insults get to her, and even obey bullies' orders, whether it was to completely change herself to the point of no recognition or some other second thing. He wished that she wouldn't do that, though; Why did she care so much about how those jerks think of her anyway? Didn't she care about what her family and friends thought of her? He thought she was the most amazing girl he ever met. And he believed that if anyone didn't like the real her, then she shouldn't care. He wondered if she would ever start doing that, ignoring rude comments. Would she? He hoped so.

His thoughts were broken by a familiar car parking close by. "There's Dad," He told Shenzi, who seemed to be snapped out of a trance as well. Hand-in-hand, the two walked up to the car, and sat in the back seats together.

"How'd your date go?" Chaz asked them as he headed for the Tuck residence.

"It went great," Chuckie replied, "She convinced me to try that Mall Jump thing for my first time."

"I bet that was fun."

"It was; I even did a back flip."

"Me too," Shenzi chimed in, "We recorded each other, if you want to see sometime."

"That sounds like fun," Chaz remarked, "You'll have to show me that, son."

"I will," Chuckie assured him.

Shenzi looked out her window, and saw her house in front of her after they stopped. "Well thanks for the fun date, Chuckie. And thanks for driving us, Chaz." After they responded with "you're welcome's", she exited the car, and walked to her house. When she looked back from the porch, she waved goodbye at Chuckie as Chaz drove away.

Later at dinner, she told her family about the fun she had with Chuckie, promising to show them the footage of her on the Mall Jump that he recorded for her. She actually forgot by accident, until she was in her pjs; After unclipping her extensions and changing into white and black bat print pajama shorts, black and white heart socks, and a simple cropped t-shirt, she hastily grabbed her phone, and rushed downstairs. Her parents and sister were very entertained from watching her on the Mall Jump, and impressed by her back flip.

Shenzi went to sleep with a happy face, as the rose rested on her cards table; She couldn't wait for Saturday, when she would have lunch at the park with Chuckie. She couldn't understand why he wasn't more popular; He was so much fun to be with! Not to mention he's sweet and supportive. Why couldn't all guys be like him?

* * *

 **(A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! You know the disclaimer. While this chapter was in progress, I had two new story ideas. The first is "CF plus ST- Sheckie through A to Z". I think it's pretty self-explanatory; Sheckie oneshots based on certain words starting with every letter of the alphabet. Suggestions for "A" would be appreciated.**

 **The other one is called "Could It Be?"**

 **Summary: A new family with a little girl moves in across the street from the Pickles house, next to the Carmichaels. The girl changes Chuckie's life forever. The title is a song by Christy Carlson Romano**

 **I hope these are good! The prologue for "Could It Be" is in progress right now.)**


	7. Frammy?

**(A/N: Sorry I procrastinated in updating this story for over 2 months! Working on and completing CF+ST, and my love for Blue Sky Studios' Epic hindered. "Frammy" is the name for the pairing of Frankie and Tommy, by the way. Enjoy this new chapter! I hope...)**

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 **Love At First Sight**

Ch. 6

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As Shenzi prepared for her park lunch with Chuckie, Frankie lounged in the living room, not paying attention to the show playing on TV. She wished that she had someone to hang out with like her sister did, because she was bored out of her skull. She didn't want to be a third wheel at Shenzi's date, so she decided to not ask to come.

"You alright, sis?" Speak of the devil. Frankie looked, and saw her emo sister ready for her date. She was wearing dark denim midi shorts, a black and red plaid cropped flannel shirt, a white "So So Happy" cropped tank top with a winking face, classic Converse high-tops, a black bow headband, a berry blue extension, and red metallic bow front-and-back earrings.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Frankie replied, "Just bored."

"Ohh," Shenzi nodded, "Well, I wish I could do something with you, but I have a date."

"It's okay, thanks anyway."

"No prob. I'll be on the porch." After grabbing her purse, she walked out the front door.

When Frankie was alone, she sighed as she flopped back down on the couch. Deciding that she didn't feel like watching TV, she turned it off. Just before she could fall asleep, the phone suddenly rang, making her shoot up in surprise. She saw the Caller ID, and eagerly answered after seeing a certain name on it. "Hi Tommy," She greeted him, "What's up?"

"Hi, Frankie. Are you doing anything important right now?"

"Not really," She replied, "Just laying around, almost bored to tears. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come over to my house today. My family would like to meet you."

Frankie let a smile grow. "That sounds great. When should I come?"

"Whenever you're ready," Tommy shrugged, before he gave her his address.

"I'm on my way; See you in a few minutes." After hanging up, Frankie dashed up to her room to get properly dressed. She decided on a black "Peace Love Always" henley shirt with a purple peace sign and white accents, a light denim skater skirt, white Converse high-tops, silver peace sign stud earrings, and a simple black ponytail band. She also had a black cropped tee with thin, white horizontal stripes under her shirt for more coverage. After grabbing her Tsum Tsums purse, the paper with the Pickles' address, and writing a note for her parents, she headed out with eagerness.

"Where are you going?" Shenzi asked her from the porch.

"I'm heading to Tommy's house," She replied, "He wants me to meet his family."

"Oh, that sounds nice," The younger girl remarked, "I hope you have fun."

"Thanks, you too." With that, Frankie continued walking, while using signs for guidance to her destination. Before long, she stopped at a two-story, square-shaped, peach-colored house with a small awning over the front door, a flat brown roof, and four windows at the front. This was it. After she rang the doorbell, Dil answered, to her surprise. "Oh, hi Dil."

"Hi Frankie," He greeted her back, "Tommy said that you would stop by here today. Come on in."

"Thanks." She walked in the house after he granted access. She gazed around the hallway as the door was closed behind her. "This is a nice place."

"Thanks," Dil smiled.

"You know where Tommy is?" She asked him.

"He's in the little boy's room; He'll be out soon. You can just chill in the living room until he comes out. It's right in there." He pointed to the doorway right behind her.

"Okay, thanks," She nodded, and walked in the room.

"I'll tell him where you are after he's done, so he'll know where to find you."

"Thanks, Dil." She sat on the burgundy couch as she gazed around the area. The room had light yellow walls, a brown floor, and a reasonably-sized TV in front of the couch. The Pickles definitely had a nice house. As she waited, she wondered what Shenzi and Chuckie were doing at the moment.

l-l

Elsewhere on the block, Shenzi waited for a few more seconds before a familiar car stopped in front of the house. She hastily stood up, and ran to the passenger side door, and sat next to Chuckie. "Hi Chuck," She greeted him, as she buckled herself.

"Hey Shen," He smiled at her, sending butterflies in her chest, "You ready to eat with nature?"

"Yep," She nodded.

"Um, y-you look great."

She couldn't help but giggle at his slight stutter. "Thanks, Chuck. So do you."

"Thanks," He glanced down at himself. He was in a white and blue raglan ¾ sleeve shirt, simple light denim jeans, and black and white suede Vans.

"You look really good in blue," She remarked, "It compliments your hair." She playfully prodded a strand of his red hair.

"Thanks Shen," He shrugged, "You look good in any color."

Her cheeks blushed as she averted her gaze. "Thanks, Chuckie."

After a few minutes of chatting, and picking up their food, Chaz stopped the car at the park entrance. "Okay, you two have fun."

"Thanks Dad," Chuckie nodded, as he and his date exited the vehicle, hand-in-hand. They walked in the building, as Chaz drove away once they entered, and gazed all around.

"Wow, this place is huge," Shenzi remarked in awe, "The only park I've been to barely has a playset."

"Y-yea," He nodded, "Will this become your regular park from this day forward?"

"Oh yeah," She replied with a nod, "This one is awesome! You know where the picnic tables are?"

"Yeah I do," He looked around the area, "They're right over there." He pointed in a certain direction. "Not too far from where we are." Chuckie led Shenzi to the picnic area, which was bustling with activity, and had awnings for shade. "Here it is."

"'Kay," She nodded, "Looks great. But you didn't have to pay for my food. I could've done it myself."

"But on dates, the guy always pays," He shrugged, "Trust me, I got it."

"Well, if you insist," She reluctantly gave in, "But I'll pay you back for mine."

"Don't worry about it," He insisted, "It's my treat."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Really, don't worry about paying me back."

"Well... okay."

"The only way you can pay me back is to have a good time."

"That won't be a problem," She giggled, "Consider yourself repaid."

"Alright," He nodded, as they sat at a table, with a takeout bag from Burger King in front of them.. They both decided on hot dogs and French fries, with small drinks while they waited. Chuckie's hot dog had ketchup and mustard, while Shenzi's contained ketchup, mustard, and relish.

"Hey, Chuck?" She grabbed one of her fries.

"Yeah?"

"I wonder what Frankie's doing right now, at Tommy's house."

l-l

At the Pickles residence, Frankie didn't have to wait too long before a familiar face came in the room. "Hey, Frankie!" Tommy greeted her. "Dil told me you were in here."

"Hi Tom," She stood up, "Um, are your parents here?"

"They're out grocery shopping, but they'll be back very soon. I told them you'd be coming here today."

"'Kay," She nodded.

Tommy sat next to her, trying to think of a good topic of conversation. "So, um... what's your favorite school subject?"

"Well," She thought about it, "I don't really have a favorite, but I seem to be really good in English."

"Cool," Tommy nodded, "I'd say my favorite subject is either history or science."

"Our history teacher is fun," She agreed, "But I could never get past science. It's all Greek to me."

"Ah," He nodded, "Well, if you ever need any help with science, just come to me."

"Th-thanks Tom." Why was she feeling so nervous? She was just talking with a friend! What was so nerve-wracking about that?

After a few minutes, the front door opened, making the two pre-teens' heads turn, and Stu and Didi Pickles walked in the house, their arms full of grocery bags.

Tommy jumped off the couch, and started helping them with the bags. "Dil! Mom and Dad are back!"

"Can I help with those?" Frankie offered.

"Oh, that's not necessary," Didi replied, "You're our guest. You just relax."

"You sure?" She asked them, as Dil started helping with the groceries. "I don't mind."

"It's fine, really," Stu assured her, "You're Tommy's new friend, right? The one he told us about?"

"Y-yeah," Frankie nodded.

"Well, you just sit and relax in the living room; We'll will be done with these groceries in a second."

As she waited, she heard them talking about her; And their words sounded positive. "She sure is nice, and pretty too," Didi remarked.

"Yeah, you sure know how to pick them out, son," Stu added. Frankie couldn't help but smirk at that.

"She's not my girlfriend," Tommy pointed out, "She's just a friend."

"Yeah, for now," The younger Pickles boy teased him.

"Dil!"

After a couple minutes, the family gathered in the living room, where their guest was patiently waiting. "So, your name is Frankie Tuck, right?" Stu asked her, and she nodded. "Tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, um..." She tried to think of anything interesting about herself, "My uh, my best school subject is English," She decided to start with, "And uh... oh! I used to live in Paris until I was almost 3. My mother married who is now my stepfather, and we moved here to Yucaipa afterwards."

"You're from Paris?" Dil's eyes widened. "No way! Kimi's from Paris too! And she and her mom moved here after marrying Chaz!"

"C-cool," She smiled timidly, "Um... my full name is Francesca Marie Tuck, in case you were curious. My birthday is February 19th. Um... that's all I can think of," She shrugged awkwardly.

"All those things are very interesting," Didi complimented her, and Frankie blushed.

"Thanks."

"What do you do for fun?" Dil asked her.

"Well, I uh, I like video games," She started off, "And um... I watch TV too. I don't do that much stuff. But I hope to join the school's baseball team."

"That sounds fun," Tommy remarked.

"What kind of games do you like?" Stu asked her.

"The Mario games," She shrugged, "My stepsister and I play them all the time, TV or handheld, ever since we were old enough to play video games. She's a very good sport every time." After a while, Frankie noticed the time on the clock. "Oh! I, I need to head home! I don't want to miss dinner." She grabbed her purse, and hastily headed for the door, but stopped at the living room walkway. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Pickles!"

"It was nice meeting you too," Didi smiled at her, "But, just call me Didi."

"And call me Stu," Her husband added.

"'Kay," Frankie nodded, "Bye!" After waving her hand, she sprinted out the door.

l-l

"Frankie went to Tommy's house?" Chuckie was surprised at this, as he ate his hot dog.

"Yep," Shenzi nodded, "She headed over there just before you and Chaz came to grab me."

"Interesting," He remarked.

"Why's that?" She smirked.

"I dunno," He shrugged, "I just never imagined them together... that way before."

"Who says they're together _that way?_ I bet they're just friends... for now," She whispered the last part to herself, then giggled at what she saw. "Uh, y-you've got a little something there," She gestured to the right corner of her mouth.

"Huh?" He went to wipe it off, but she stopped him.

"I'll get it." She leaned forward, and kissed his face where the mustard spot was, making his cheeks flush deeply. She giggled at his stupefied expression, and licked the mustard off her lips.

"Di-did you get it?" He stammered.

"Yeah, it's all gone," She giggled some more, and took a bite out of her hot dog. "So um, nice day, huh?"

"Oh yeah," He nodded, "Perfect for a meal with a pretty girl."

A blush blossomed on Shenzi's cheeks. "Aww, Chuckie. I'm not pretty."

"Yes you are!" He insisted, accidentally raising his voice more than he meant to. She flinched a bit at his voice's volume in surprise. "S-sorry, didn't mean for it to be that loud. But still, you _are_ pretty, Shen. No, you're _beautiful._ You're the most beautiful girl in our whole school, if not the whole town."

"Th-thanks Chuck," She stammered as her blush deepened, "But..."

"It really hurts me to see and/or hear you put yourself down, when it's all lies. You're not ugly, worthless, stupid, or whatever you think you are. You are beautiful, fun, smart, and a delight to be with." He reached over with his left hand, after it was clean, and gently played with her silky locks by her face. "Don't let anyone tell you different."

"O-okay," She stuttered timidly, "Thanks Chuckie."

He then smiled, leaving his hand where it was. "What kind of shampoo and conditioner do you use?"

"I use Suave," She shrugged, "For both. They're green apple scented."

"Well, I may have to start using it myself," He remarked, "Because your hair is so soft. Beautiful too, just like you."

Shenzi's blush deepened even more, if that was possible. "Thanks, Chuckie." Without hesitation, she picked up her food, and changed seats, so she was next to him. She leaned against his arm as she ate the last of her fries. Chuckie finished his hot dog as he held her closer by her shoulders. "You want one of my fries?" He asked her. "I don't mind." "Just one, thanks," She replied, "Feed me?" He chuckled as he fed her one of his salty fries, marveling at how cute she looked when she was concentrating.

At home, Shenzi and Frankie told each other, and their parents, about the day they had with their respective guy friends.

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 **(A/N: I apologize for the abrupt ending. Writers' block is a you-know-what, isn't it? You know the disclaimer.)**


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